Chapter 123: Failed To Reassure Her

Shichen looked at his niece and considered every answer he could give her.

The roads between Xiling and Qingsong were exposed to temperatures that had already softened pavement and disabled vehicles.

Even if they could travel safely, he was pretty sure that Hanchuan wouldn’t open their shelter for a visit, and Shichen wouldn’t ask him to risk Zhiyi by doing so.

"No," he told Nian. His voice remained calm because softening the answer wouldn’t make it less true. "I can’t come to your house."

The little girl absorbed the refusal without immediately reacting. Her fingers curled into the front of her grandfather’s shirt before she asked, "Because it’s hot outside?"

"Yes," he replied simply. Then he explained that the route between the two properties and confirmed that nothing had changed since the last time he checked. "It isn’t safe for me to leave, and it isn’t safe for you to come here."

Nian lowered her head to Jianye’s shoulder. She didn’t cry, but disappointment appeared in the small movement of her mouth.

Shuyun watched her daughter before returning her attention to Shichen. "Will it be safe after the emergency ends?"

The question contained too much for the child to recognize.

The government continued describing the Heat as an emergency because admitting that they didn’t know when it would end would destroy whatever order remained.

Shichen knew the cooling centers would fail, public food distribution would shrink and the roads separating him from his family would become less accessible rather than more.

He also knew that Qingsong Residence hadn’t been supplied to support more than 300 people indefinitely.

"No," Shichen answered after the pause became noticeable. "The conditions will not return to normal when the current warning period ends."

His mother moved closer to the phone. "How long will this last?"

Shichen glanced toward Hanchuan and Zhiyi.

Neither attempted to prevent him from answering.

His family already understood that he had known enough to direct them toward Qingsong before the temperature rose.

Continuing to conceal the scale of the disaster would only encourage them to make decisions based on a recovery that wasn’t coming.

"The best guess is approximately four years," he said after a moment.

Silence settled over the call.

His father stared at him as though Shichen had changed languages without warning.

Shuyun’s expression emptied, while Wenlan looked toward the occupied parking level behind them.

More than 300 people remained inside a building stocked according to the assumption that roads, stores and public utilities would eventually reopen.

Nian lifted her head again. Four years meant nothing to her except a number larger than the days she had already waited.

Jianye recovered first. "You knew this before the emergency began."

The accusation carried less anger than disbelief.

His father had spent Shichen’s childhood demanding preparation, discipline and attention to consequences.

Now he had discovered that his son had prepared for the end of their world without fully including them in the explanation.

"I was told what would happen," Shichen replied with a short nod.

He wouldn’t identify Zhiyi or explain the lives she and Hanchuan remembered while the committee, residents and security guards remained close enough to hear. "I believed the information."

"You believed it strongly enough to send us here," his mother said.

She didn’t raise her voice, but confusion strained each word. "You insisted that we leave the family house and move into your apartment at Qingsong. You filled the storage room with food, replaced the windows and had the water tanks inspected. Why didn’t you tell us we were preparing for four years?"

"Because you wouldn’t have believed me."

Wenlan looked hurt by the certainty of his answer.

Shichen understood that he should retract it.

He couldn’t.

His mother had complained when he removed decorative furniture to create room for supplies.

His father had threatened to return home twice because he considered the move an overreaction. Shuyun had only agreed to stay at Qingsong because the temporary arrangement entertained Nian.

They had followed Shichen because he made the decision difficult to resist, not because any of them accepted his reasons.

His sister crossed her arms. "You could have tried."

"I had 27 days to inspect nine shelters, redesign structural deficiencies and ensure this building could protect you. I didn’t have time to spend convincing you that the forecast was real," replied Shichen, holding back his temper.

"So you manipulated us instead."

"Yes."

Shuyun appeared unprepared for his agreement.

Shichen had purchased the apartment across the hall from their parents, moved supplies into both units and scheduled repairs without explaining the urgency.

He had asked his sister and niece to stay there because he needed someone capable of caring for their parents if the building lost power or communications.

None of it had been accidental.

Before his family could respond, Luo called from the mechanical corridor. The pressure had returned to the normal range, and he needed authorization to open C-17 completely.

Shichen turned toward the monitoring display without ending the family call. "Increase it by one-quarter rotation first. Wait 30 seconds and report the pump vibration before completing the adjustment."

Luo followed the instructions.

The coolant pressure remained stable as the return flow increased, while the vibration in the secondary pump gradually declined.

Shichen authorized the final quarter turn.

The valve returned to its correct position. Zhiyi reset the associated warning from Xiling, then restored the heat-exchange controls while Luo reactivated the first supply fan.

Air quality continued improving throughout the underground levels.

"The eastern intake is stable," Zhiyi confirmed after reviewing the readings. "The remaining intakes can be reopened without exceeding the cooling system’s current capacity."

Shichen sent Luo the sequence for restoring them. He also removed Mr. Du’s access to the mechanical controls and assigned temporary authorization to Luo and Shuyun.

His sister noticed the notification on her phone. "You gave me control of the building."

"I gave you access to the systems the committee altered. Luo understands mechanical equipment, but he doesn’t have the authority to prevent them from changing it again."

"What makes you think I do?"

"You contacted me when you realized their decision could be dangerous." Shichen met her gaze through the screen. "That makes you more qualified than everyone who didn’t."

The explanation failed to reassure her.